National Archives of Ireland launch commemoration programme of events to mark next phase of Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023

The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives Exhibition is one of the flagship events

The National Archives today launched their 2021 Commemoration Programme of Events to mark the next phase of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023. The National Archives’ 2021 Commemoration Programme marks significant events of 1921, culminating in the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

The programme leads to their flagship event The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives Exhibition at Dublin Castle this December. Also included in the programme is a series of Autumn/Winter talks at the National Library of Ireland, the Royal Irish Academy and National Archives. Contributors include Michael Portillo, Broadcaster and former British politician, Dr Marie Coleman, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s University, Dr Anne Dolan, Associate Professor in Modern Irish History at Trinity College Dublin, Dr William Murphy, Associate Professor, School of History and Geography at Dublin City University and RTÉ presenter David McCullagh.

The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives Exhibition, gives the public the opportunity to see one of the most significant historical documents held by the National Archives. The exhibition will open at the British Academy in London on the 11th of October and run until the 23rd of October before taking residency at Dublin Castle from the 6th of December until the 27th March 2022. This will be the first time the official documents and private papers, including the Treaty document will be presented to the public. The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of workshops, curated talks, and a digital programme as well as guided tours, designed to encourage historical enquiry and the understanding of the impact and legacy of the events that occurred during the revolutionary period.

Director of the National Archives, Orlaith McBride said:

As part of the programme and following an open call for proposals, the National Archives has also appointed John Beattie as its Artist-in-Residence, to engage with its collections, to reflect in imaginative ways on the contemporary resonance of particular episodes from the 1921-1923 period. Through a process of historical and cultural reconstruction, Beattie will create a new body of work which re-stages and brings to life historical and cultural narratives and events from the period 1921- 1923. Throughout the residency, Beattie will present a series of public talks describing his experience of working as Artist-in-Residence in the National Archives; his research process and approach to creating new work as part of the as Artist-in-Residence programme.

The National Archives was established to collect, manage and preserve Ireland’s public record, ensuring their availability as a resource for all. These records relate to the social, cultural, economic and political history of the island of Ireland from the Middle Ages through to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 and into the modern era.

Admission is free to all events and more information on the National Archives 2021 Commemoration Programme of Events can be found at www.nationalarchives.ie.

The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives Exhibition

Presented by the National Archives in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy and the National Library, with records from the collections of the Military Archives and University College Dublin.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty is one of the most significant historical documents held by the National Archives. Using it as a centrepiece, the National Archives will present an exhibition that marks its role as the official repository of the records of the State, one hundred years since its formation. The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives opens up significant historical records, official documents and private papers for the first time in the history of the State, including the first public presentation of the Treaty document.

Using contemporary reportage, images and footage, The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives locates the Treaty negotiations in the political context of the Irish revolution and a world turned upside down by the First World War. Beginning with the exploratory talks between Éamon de Valera, President of Dáil Éireann, and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George during the summer of 1921, it details the work of the Irish plenipotentiaries and their secretariat, by presenting the documentary record that they left behind.

The exhibition also chronicles day-to-day life in London for the men and women who made up the Irish delegation, from parties attended, dinners hosted and appearances at theatre and gala performances, to the tense final days and hours leading to the signing of the Treaty just after 2am on 6 December 1921. Finally, it documents the delegation’s return to Dublin, and the Dáil Éireann cabinet meeting that pointed to the split in the independence movement that emerged over the terms of the Treaty, and the divisions that would lead to Civil War.

The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of workshops, curated talks, a digital programme as well as guided tours, designed to encourage historical enquiry and promote the widest possible interest in exploring and understanding the impact and legacy of the events that occurred during the revolutionary period, including global reactions and the experience of women.

Exhibition dates:

6 December 2021 – 27 March 2022

Opening hours: 10am – 5pm, daily

Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle Gardens, Dame Street, Dublin 2, D02 X822

https://www.dublincastle.ie

Admission free.

Booking information at www.nationalarchives.ie

The Treaty negotiations began in London on 11 October 1921 and concluded in the early morning of 6 December 1921 with the signature, by British and Irish negotiators, of ‘Articles of Agreement’ – better known as the Anglo-Irish Treaty (or the Treaty). This led directly to the establishment of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922, governing twenty-six of Ireland’s thirty-two counties. It was a milestone in the histories of Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the British Empire and Commonwealth.

A preview exhibition of The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives will open in London on 11 October to mark the centenary of the beginning and the course of the Treaty negotiations. The exhibition is presented by the National Archives in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in London, the Royal Irish Academy and the British Academy, with records from the collections of the National Library of Ireland, the Military Archives and University College Dublin.

Exhibition dates:

11 – 23 October 2021

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 10am – 1pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm

The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Admission free. Booking information at www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Autumn/Winter Talks Series

Title: ‘Bring me into the spotlight of a London conference': Michael Collins from Truce to Treaty’

Speakers: Dr Anne Dolan (Associate Professor in Modern Irish History, Trinity College Dublin) and Dr William Murphy (Associate Professor, School of History and Geography, Dublin City University)

Moderator: David McCullagh (journalist, author and presenter, RTE)

Date: Thursday, 23 September 2021

Time: 8pm

Host venue: Main Reading Room, National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Online event: Admission free. Booking information at https://nli.ticketsolve.com/shows/1173614554

Anne Dolan is Associate Professor in Modern Irish History in the Department of History, Trinity College Dublin. She is the author of Commemorating the Irish Civil War: History and Memory, 1923–2000 and with Cormac KH O’Malley, editor of ‘No surrender here!’ The Civil War Papers of Ernie O’Malley. Her research focuses on the history of violence in the revolutionary period and the social and cultural history of inter-war Ireland.

William Murphy is Associate Professor at the School of History and Geography, Dublin City University. He is the author of Political Imprisonment and the Irish, 1912–1921 (2014) and co-editor of Leisure and the Irish in the Nineteenth Century (2016) and The Gaelic Athletic Association, 1884–2009 (2009).

They are joint authors of Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution.

Title: 'The National Archives presents Michael Portillo in conversation with Dr Marie Coleman'

Speakers: Michael Portillo (journalist, broadcaster and former British politician) and Dr Marie Coleman (School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Queen's University, Belfast)

Date: Thursday 28 October 2021

Time: 6pm

Host venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2.

Online event: Admission free. Booking information to follow at www.nationalarchives.ie

Michael Portillo and Dr Marie Coleman will discuss the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations (11 October–6 December 1921) through the prism of the British and Irish cabinet papers and examine what was at stake for both delegations and their respective governments.

Marie Coleman is a graduate of University College Dublin. She is the author of a number of books in addition to refereed articles and essays on the Irish revolution. She is the joint editor of Irish Historical Studies and sits on a number of committees related to the Irish Decade of Centenaries (the Military Service Pensions Project Advisory Committee, the Beyond 2022 International Advisory Board and the Northern Ireland Office Centenary Historical Panel). Dr Coleman has also provided expert comment on the Irish revolution on radio, television and in the press.

Michael Portillo was a Conservative Member of the Westminster Parliament during the periods 1984–1997 and 1999–2005. He was a minister for eleven years and held three cabinet posts. His second career has been in the media. He was a regular on BBC1’s satirical political review “This Week” throughout its 16-year run. He has made programmes based on railway journeys for BBC2 for the last thirteen years and production continues. His programmes for RTÉ have been on the centenaries of the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the creation of Northern Ireland.

Title: TBC

Speakers: TBC

Moderator: Dr Patrick Geoghegan (Professor in Modern History, Trinity College Dublin)

Brief description and short speaker bios: tbc

Date: Monday 22/Tuesday 23/Wednesday 24 November 2021: TBC

Time: TBC

Host venue: National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8.

Online event: Admission free. Booking information to follow at www.nationalarchives.ie

Artist-in-Residence: John Beattie

Following an open call for proposals, the National Archives appointed John Beattie as its Artist-in-Residence as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme.

The National Archives’ Artist-in-Residence programme is designed to support the exploration of new perspectives on archival material relating to the 1921-1923 period through the creation of new and original artwork. Public engagement will be a significant feature of the 24-month programme, providing unique insights into the artist’s creative process, as well as the collections of the National Archives and its role preserving and protecting the records of the State for current and future generations. Through the collaboration, the National Archives will explore new approaches to presenting its collections that enhance visitor enjoyment and encourage different ways of seeing and experiencing them.

John Beattie’s proposal, Reperforming State Memory seeks to engage with the National Archives’ collections and, through a process of historical and cultural reconstruction, to create a new body of work which re-stages and brings to life historical and cultural narratives and events from the period 1921- 1923. Throughout the residency, Beattie will present a series of public talks describing his experience of working as Artist-in-Residence in the National Archives; his research process and approach to creating new work as part of the as Artist-in-Residence programme.

John Beattie is a visual artist based in Dublin. His still and moving-image productions include: PERFORMING NGI.988 (2016), produced for the 1916 State commemorations in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland, the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art, and The LAB Gallery, Dublin; and An Artist, The Studio, and all the rest… (2006-2012), a two part cinematic moving-image production, exhibited at The Royal Hibernian Academy. Since 2013, Beattie has been researching, producing and directing a new body of work titled RECONSTRUCTING MONDRIAN (2013-2020), based on Piet Mondrian’s original Paris studio from 1921-1936, in collaboration with The Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, and the Foundation Reconstruction of Mondrian’s Studio, Holland. Beattie has been awarded a number of residencies to date, including the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, 2020; the apexart Fellowship, New York, 2015; IMMA, Dublin, 2011; Temple Bar Gallery & Studio, Dublin, 2010; the RHA, Dublin, 2010; and Fire Station Artists’ Studios, Dublin, 2006- 2009.

To view work-in-progress: www.studiojohnbeattie.com/national-archives-residency. For further information about John Beattie and his work: www.johnbeattie.ie